Inviting Jesus into my business

Your business, my friend, is unique.

It’s different from most businesses in the world—because as a Christian, your business belongs to Jesus.

In fact, that’s why you’re reading this blog. You don’t want a “normal” business. You want a business that honors Christ in every way possible. 

But what does that mean? 

First, let me tell you what it doesn’t mean. 

It doesn’t mean your primary audience has to be Christian.

It means that Jesus is the one in charge, leading the way and guiding every single step.

And believe me, this doesn’t happen on accident.

When you’re pursuing a new idea for a business, it can be easy to get so excited and focused on it, that little by little, Jesus goes from sitting on the throne of your business to sitting on the sidelines.

It doesn’t have to be that way!

When I first thought of the idea of starting a side hustle, I didn’t even know what exactly I would do or what I would offer to people.

But I knew one thing: I wanted Jesus to be at the helm. Always.

Because of that, I decided to do several things to make sure He stayed in charge. It was really important for me to follow these three things consistently because not every person I looked to for business advice was a Christian. 

In fact, a lot of great marketing and entrepreneur podcasts/educators aren’t Christian. They have incredible content, but it’s not focused on Christ. I had to ask myself: “How can I apply these smart principles while keeping Christ at the center?”

3 Ways I Keep Jesus First in My Business

Here’s what this looks like for me:

1. I surrendered my business to Jesus in prayer from the very beginning.

As soon as I knew I wanted to start a side business, I brought it to the Lord in prayer and asked Him if this was something He was putting on my heart.

I don’t want to do anything unless Jesus is behind it. I know you feel the same way.

My prayers about my business in the very beginning were mostly full of questions. “Is this Your will? What do You want me to do? How can I honor my employers at my current full-time job while pursuing this dream?”

Little by little, the Lord revealed His heart about these things. (Check out the overarching value statement He laid on my heart.) And if you’re just starting out and in that position of questioning, He will do the same for you.

Above all, this meant that my heart was open to whatever the Lord wanted. If He had said no to a side business, I would have been OK with that.

All I knew was that I wanted His will, not mine.

2. I asked Him to define my values and parameters.

Once I felt the Lord confirm my direction in starting a side business, I began seeking Him about the values and foundations He wanted me to have.

I started by writing down several reasons I want to pursue a side business that would eventually become my main work. Some of those reasons included:

  • So I could stay home with my future children and homeschool them.
  • So I could have a creative outlet that hones my skills while I’m home.
  • So I could earn money that my husband and I could set aside for savings, investing, and any extra charity or gifts we wanted to give.
  • So I could have freedom to decide who I work with and what content I produce.
  • So I could have more flexibility in my schedule.
  • To help people.

Now that I knew my reasons for starting a business at home, I asked the Lord to give me several guiding principles and values that would help steer my business. These values are crucial because they stand as the primary test I would use to weigh every business decision.

For example, I told the Lord before I began the side business that I did not want this endeavor to interfere with my commitment to my family or ministry.

To me, family and ministry are more important than my side business. For me, that looks like making sure I’m setting aside quality time for my amazing husband, Diego, each day as well as for our respective families each week.

Ministry is also a huge part of my life. I’ve been on our church’s worship team since I was 13 years old. I’ve helped lead the church youth group since my sophomore year of college, and I’ve been discipling young women since I was about 15.

Pouring into the kingdom of God through ministry is something I know the Lord has called me to do. Sowing into eternity will always be a primary focus for me. My side business won’t change that. I refuse to let it.

And yes, my side business is another opportunity to sow into eternal things, but sowing directly into my church family is something I highly value and won’t stop doing.

Maybe you can relate?

3. I chose to follow biblical principles for my business finances.

Long before I started this blog, I decided to save money to invest in my business instead of going into debt.

The Bible talks about debt with caution several times. And although it never calls it a sin, it does call it pretty foolish. (See Proverbs 22:7, Proverbs 22:26, and Romans 13:8 for some examples.)

I realize that it might be hard to save up money to invest in starting a business, and I realize that each person’s business journey looks a little different. But it was important to me not to go into debt to launch my side hustle.

Secondly, I make sure to talk to my husband about almost every decision regarding my business. 

On the one hand, this is super easy because I do my research and when I share what I’ve found with him and why I want to purchase a particular thing, he’s usually encouraging me to do it.

My husband truly is my biggest cheerleader! And I don’t take that for granted.

Now, that doesn’t mean we never disagree about money decisions for my business. But I’ve found that when I thoroughly explain my rationale and we openly and kindly communicate, we come to a decision together that we both feel good about.

Some may read that and think, “Why does your husband even need to have a say in what decisions you make for your business?”

My only response would be that I am 100% convinced that Jesus wants my husband and me to be in absolutely unity in all things relating to our marriage and family. 

That said, it’s important to research and make wise decisions for what to buy. I know you won’t reach for every shiny object, but I still have to say it.

Investigate what you think would be a good investment for your business. Read reviews about the tool, educational course or platform. See if there’s a trial run that you can use to test how you like the product and if it’s a good fit for you.

The goal is to invest as a good steward.

Don’t be afraid to spend money. Just be wise about it. Be willing to invest into your business and take good care of it.

Ultimately, my business doesn’t belong to me. And your business doesn’t actually belong to you. 

It belongs to Jesus.

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Jenny Rose is a freelance copywriter and content marketer specializing in B2B marketing, real estate, and accounting. She's written for clients like AAA, Edward Jones, Flyhomes, Guild Education, and more. Her writing has also appeared in publications like Business Insider and GOBankingRates.